The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy

  • 3

    Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers

  • 5

    Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone

  • 7

    Retailers return to Myeong-dong as more foreign tourists visit

  • 9

    Japanese comic series 'Slam Dunk' enjoys resurgence on back of animated film

  • 11

    INTERVIEWA touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene

  • 13

    Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea

  • 15

    President pledges support for Korean chipmakers to overcome crisis

  • 17

    Income gap widening among workers

  • 19

    China imposes mandatory virus tests for arrivals from Korea only in latest protest over curbs

  • 2

    Garbage collector mistakes sex doll for corpse

  • 4

    Free subway rides for elderly emerge as headache for Seoul mayor

  • 6

    Korea seeks measures to better protect foreign workers

  • 8

    ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views

  • 10

    Is non-consensual sex not rape?

  • 12

    4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang

  • 14

    Police to introduce new measures to better handle intoxicated people

  • 16

    $120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing

  • 18

    Korea's presidential couple celebrates recovery of Cambodian boy who received heart surgery

  • 20

    Korean iPhone users lose 'batterygate' lawsuit

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Fri, February 3, 2023 | 22:33
Foreign School Used as Conduit to Channel Funds to Lawmaker
Posted : 2009-04-05 18:34
Updated : 2009-04-05 18:34
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

A foreign school has been allegedly used as a vehicle to channel funds to a lawmaker who has been accused of having used a foundation's funds and building for his own private interests.

According to former and current staff at Indianhead International School (IIS), in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, Rep. Kang Sung-jong of the opposition Democratic Party used an undisclosed amount of funds from the Shinheung College Foundation for his campaign for a seat in the National Assembly last year.

Kang is the chairman of the Shinheung Foundation, which was originally established by his father. Shinheung and IIS are separate entities, but the school is located on the Shinheung College Campus.

Some former and current foreign senior officials of IIS, who declined to be named, told The Korea Times that Kang misappropriated funds from Shinheung, disguising it as if the funds were going to the international school. The misappropriated money is estimated at about $1.5 million.

They said money to run the foreign school came from Shinheung, but the foundation drastically cut the flow of money during the three months leading up to the general election last April. They claim this shows that the lawmaker embezzled a large amount of funds.

``Shinheung College Foundation board members knew it was illegal to do what they were doing and voiced concerns about getting caught,'' an IIS school insider said. ``They also stated that if college students discovered money was being taken from the college, they would protest as their tuition fees have been steadily rising.''

As substantial proof of the illegal channeling of the funds from the foundation to the IIS, they said a brand new bus worth $100,000, which is owned by Shinheung, has been used by the school.

Transfer of money from Shinheung Foundation to the foreign school is illegal as the two institutes are independent entities. While, Rep. Kang is not a member of the foreign school, his three children are pupils there and his brother-in-law is the chairman.

Shinheung denies that Rep. Kang used school money for his election but admitted the college finances the foreign school, which is illegal.

``Due to rise of the dollar against the won, we supported the foreign school,'' said Lee Sung-man, the public relations officer of the college foundation.

Rep. Kang, who was also elected in the general elections in 2004, was jailed in 2004 for violating the Election Law.

Kang's brother-in-law, Park Jeong-jin and his brother, Myong-jin, run the foreign school.

Other teachers at the foreign school also accuse Kang of having committed irregularities.

``The school has a board of directors composed of Park Jeong-jin and his brother Myung-jin. However, the real board decisions are made by Rep. Kang who resides on the fifth floor of the high school building,'' an IIS teacher said.

Another teacher said, ``I know that Kang and his family live on the fifth floor of the high school building. I'm not sure if this is something common in Korea, but it is definitely unusual in the United States.''

Some other teachers said the school's mistreatment of its employees breaches the Labor Law.

They say the school has not paid a number of teachers their severance pay. And only paid 75 percent of what was owed to those who filed complaints with the authorities.

Moreover, they claimed that the IIS had unilaterally changed conditions of employment without consent. ``Several teachers were told one day that they had been rehired for the next school year only to be told that the decision had been cancelled,'' one said.

``One teacher has been told this four times in the last five months,'' a source said. ``At the current time, there are teachers at the school who have contacted lawyers to enforce their contracts.''

Enrollment of students at IIS is not transparent either. According to schoolteachers, a number of unqualified students attend the school.

They say more than 90 percent of the students are ethnic Koreans, but some are students who failed at Korean schools and were transferred, which is a violation of the Korean Education Law.

``Some of the students came directly from Korean public schools. I do not know how many, but I am sure this is illegal,'' a source said.

Regarding these allegations, IIS refused to comment. Licensed as a foreign school by Korean government in 1999, IIS has 152 students with 32 teachers as of March, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
 
Top 10 Stories
1Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers
2Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone
3[INTERVIEW] A touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene INTERVIEWA touch of authenticity in Korea's Mexican cuisine scene
4Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea Pyongyang threatens eye-for-eye response as US B-1B bombers join drills in South Korea
5Police to introduce new measures to better handle intoxicated people Police to introduce new measures to better handle intoxicated people
6Gov't announces measures to cope with shortage of surgeons Gov't announces measures to cope with shortage of surgeons
7[INTERVIEW] 'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula' INTERVIEW'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula'
8Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars
9[INTERVIEW] US-NK summit is unlikely in 2023: Korea Society INTERVIEWUS-NK summit is unlikely in 2023: Korea Society
10[INTERVIEW] IMF expects no recession for Korean economy INTERVIEWIMF expects no recession for Korean economy
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy Major webtoon platforms' fight against piracy
2ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views ENHYPEN-inspired webtoon 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' surpasses 100 million views
3$120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing $120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing
4PULL UP: VIVIZ returns with new song about gossipers PULL UP: VIVIZ returns with new song about gossipers
5Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth' Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth'
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group